May 15
The families of שָׁלוֹם חֲבֵרִים (Shalom, Chaverim! – Welcome, Friends! for ages 0 – 3 and their grown-ups) are wrapping up the school year by revisiting the חַגִים (chaggim, holidays) we explored. Children could color holiday images while examining holiday objects, or hunt for items in the sensory bin. We also introduced the upcoming Jewish holiday of …
Jun 06
This week, the educators of the Jewish Enrichment Center have been very busy getting ready for our Shavuot End of Year Torah Celebration, taking place this Sunday, starting at 9 AM! We are looking forward to sharing all of the Torah we have explored at the Jewish Enrichment Center through the years! See you on …
May 25
There’s not a moment to lose! We only have a few real workdays left, and it turns out that this project we’ve undertaken is actually our biggest and most collaborative project yet. It’s just right for the end of the year, though: Look at how many skills and habits are going into it! Familiarity and …
May 23
Judaism grows and changes over time. Nitzanim children have been exploring Shavuot and the way that ideas about Shavuot have changed over time. We started with ideas about Shavuot in the Torah and then moved onto exploring what the ancient early rabbis (1st-6th centuries) had to say. Now, we’re starting to talk about later developments, ideas about Shavuot …
May 19
“Wait, the chalk slipped. Hold it still while I do it again.” “Can you pull that side so it stays tight?” “But look. If we make the swirls thinner, there’s more room for the scenes.” “Is that the earth and the sea?” “No, I think it’s Noah’s Ark. See the flood and the mountain sticking out?” …
May 18
This week in אלונים (“Oak trees,” for 5th and 6th grades), we’ve been busy working on our final projects for the year! Our final project prompt is: Tell the story of your encounter with a big idea or question this year. Children are working independently or in pairs to identify a big question or idea …
May 16
We’ve started our final project in Beit Nitzanim. It’s a project that helps us reflect on our whole year AND a project we can work on together, so that we can show off all of our fabulous teamwork skills. The project has so many steps: Step 1: Remember the three big themes from our year: Bamidbar (“In …
May 11
They’re at it again! ענפים (Anafim, “Branches” for 3rd-4th grade children) are working on a new project; this time, it’s a collaboration as well as a chance for each child to express their own creativity and ownership of Torah texts. So far they’ve reviewed texts… drafted designs… Workshopped their ideas with peers… …and, finally, started crafting their visions …
May 11
Alonimers have spent the past couple weeks reading Torah text about Shavuot. They saw that the Torah says three main things about Shavuot: 1. Shavuot celebrates the wheat harvest, 2. Shavuot comes at the end of the counting of the omer, and 3. People bring bikkurim (the first things that grow) to Adonai on Shavuot. This week, …
May 08
We had an impromptu Torah exploration today! It all started with a question. One child is beginning to learn to chant three פסוקים (pesukim–verses) from בראשית (Breishit–Genesis). I handed her a copy of the verses on a piece of printer paper. Her text has Hebrew letters, vowels, and Torah trope. Child: What is this? It’s not a …
